Craighead County Genealogy Records

Craighead County genealogy records currently begin in 1878, after courthouse fires in 1869 and again in 1878 destroyed earlier records. The county seat is Jonesboro, and the courthouse there holds marriage registers, probate files, and land records from 1878 for family history research. The Jonesboro Public Library also maintains an extensive genealogy collection that complements the courthouse holdings.

Craighead County Courthouse Genealogy Records

The Craighead County Courthouse is at 511 South Main Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401, phone (870) 933-4520. The county operates two clerk offices. The western district office in Jonesboro is at PO Box 120, Jonesboro, AR 72401, phone (870) 933-4530. The eastern district office in Lake City is at PO Box 537, Lake City, AR 72437, phone (870) 237-4342. Marriage records, probate records, court records, and land records all begin in 1878. Birth and death records at the county level start in 1914.

Craighead County was created on February 19, 1859, from Mississippi County, Greene County, and Poinsett County. All records from the county's formation through the Civil War period were destroyed by a fire in 1869. A second fire in 1878 destroyed records that had been rebuilt after the first fire. Since 1886, courthouse records have been kept in a fireproof vault, and the records from 1878 onward are intact. For families who were in Craighead County before 1878, researchers must turn to the parent counties: Mississippi, Greene, and Poinsett.

The fireproof vault policy adopted in 1886 was a direct response to the two courthouse fires, and it means that the records from 1878 to the present are well preserved. Chancery court records from 1878 to 1964, probate records from 1878 to 1971, and common law records from 1878 to 1887 are all part of the county's holdings. FamilySearch has digitized many of these older records, making them searchable online without a courthouse visit.

Craighead County Genealogy on FamilySearch

The FamilySearch Craighead County wiki lists available records and links to digitized collections. The statewide Arkansas marriage index on FamilySearch includes Craighead County marriages from 1878. Probate records from 1878 to 1971 are indexed, along with common law records and chancery books. Census records for the county run from 1860 through 1940.

The 1860 census predates the courthouse fires and is the first federal census available for Craighead County. It captures the founding generation of settlers in this northeast Arkansas county and names heads of household with ages and birthplaces. Because the courthouse records from this period no longer exist, the 1860 census is one of the only direct sources for Craighead County families in the pre-war period. The 1870 census is also valuable, as it names families who rebuilt in the county after the Civil War and after the first courthouse fire. Cross-referencing the 1870 census against post-war land records from the parent counties can sometimes fill in family details that the fire destroyed.

FamilySearch also provides links to military records for Arkansas including Civil War pension files for Craighead County veterans. These pension files were created after 1878, so they are not affected by the courthouse fires, and they often provide detailed family history information that is not duplicated in any county record. Sworn statements from veterans and their widows describe marriages, children's names and ages, and the veterans' birthplaces and pre-war residences.

Jonesboro Public Library Genealogy Collection

The Jonesboro Public Library maintains an extensive genealogy collection that is one of the best free resources for Craighead County research. The library holds local newspapers on microfilm going back to the 1890s, along with microfilm archives of census, marriage, court, and tax records. In-library access to Ancestry Library Edition and Newspapers.com's Jonesboro collection is available at no charge to visitors. The Heritage Quest database is also accessible at the library.

Newspaper obituaries in the Jonesboro collection are especially useful for Craighead County genealogy because they can substitute for courthouse records that were lost in the two fires. Obituaries from the late 19th and early 20th century often name parents, siblings, and the birthplace of the deceased, providing family connections that may not appear in any surviving courthouse document. If your ancestor died in Craighead County between roughly 1886 and 1940, a newspaper search at the Jonesboro library is worth making.


The Jonesboro Public Library holds microfilm newspapers back to the 1890s, census records, and in-library access to Ancestry and Newspapers.com for Craighead County genealogy research.

ARGenWeb Craighead County Resources

The ARGenWeb Craighead County page provides free genealogical resources compiled by volunteers. Cemetery surveys, family history submissions, and historical documents are available on the site. Cemetery records are particularly important for Craighead County given the courthouse fire losses, since gravestones often provide death dates and family relationships that are not documented in any surviving courthouse record.

Family histories posted on the ARGenWeb site sometimes include information from before the courthouse fires, drawn from family oral traditions, Bible records, and private documents. These submissions can provide clues about pre-1878 family connections that you cannot find in the courthouse. Searching by surname is always worth doing before starting a more extensive research effort.

Vital Records and State Archives

The Arkansas Department of Health maintains birth and death records for Craighead County from 1914. The state marriage index starts in January 1917. For events before those dates, the Jonesboro courthouse is the official source. Birth certificates cost $12 and death certificates are $10 per copy from the state.

The Arkansas State Archives at 1100 North Street, Little Rock, (501) 682-6900, holds Confederate pension files, military records, and microfilmed county materials for Craighead County. The Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA) in Powhatan is the closer regional facility for Craighead County researchers and holds records from this part of the state. The Archives is free to visit and open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., plus the first and third Saturday of each month.

Cities in Craighead County

The qualifying city in Craighead County for this site is Jonesboro, the county seat and the largest city in northeast Arkansas. Jonesboro has its own page with city-specific genealogy resources and courthouse information.

Nearby Counties

Craighead County borders Greene County, Mississippi County, Poinsett County, Lawrence County, Jackson County, and Cross County. The parent counties of Mississippi, Greene, and Poinsett hold pre-1878 records for families who lived in the Craighead County area before the courthouse fires.